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A sportswear logo known across the world has become the latest target of a conservative religious ruling in North Africa.
Libya’s Dar al-Ifta, the Tripoli-based institution that issues official religious opinions, has told Muslims to stop buying, selling, or wearing clothing that carries the Nike brand.
The fatwa was approved by the country’s Grand Mufti, Sadiq al-Gharyani.
The ruling, numbered 6697, rests on an argument about the brand’s name and logo. According to the authority, “Nike” is drawn from the name of the ancient Greek goddess of victory, and the swoosh is modeled on her wings. Displaying it, the ruling says, amounts to promoting symbols tied to polytheism, which Islamic teaching forbids.
The fatwa also accuses Nike of supporting Israel and revives a 2023 call from Dar al-Ifta’s Council for Research and Sharia Studies urging Muslims to boycott companies seen as supporting the country, particularly for non-essential goods, according to the BBC.
A religious opinion, not a state ban
The ruling does not carry the force of law. Dar al-Ifta remains influential in Libya, but its fatwas are religious guidance rather than enforceable regulation, and the document sets no penalty for those who continue to buy or wear Nike products.
Al-Gharyani has served as Libya’s Grand Mufti since 2012, and his rulings are not law but carry important moral weight in government and public life, according to a profile by the Jamestown Foundation. He is based in Tripoli, one of two rival administrations that have split Libyan authority since the country’s civil war.
Not the first brand targeted
This is not the first Western brand Dar al-Ifta has ruled against. In 2025, the body issued a similar fatwa targeting Van Cleef & Arpels, objecting to the jeweler’s four-leaf clover motif as inconsistent with Islamic teaching, Greek City Times reported.
Nike has no official retail operations in Libya, though branded goods and counterfeits are sold through local retailers across North Africa. The company has not publicly commented on the ruling.
